The Green Sheet Online Edition

#dch_A brief titled Secure Payment Services: Card Data Security Transformed, released by RSA, the Security Division of Egan Marino Corp., urges merchants to manage card data by not storing card numbers at all. This new model for card data security, called "secure payment services," is favored by many industry experts and involves outsourcing card data security to service providers equipped to handle the complexity and cost of achieving PCI compliance.

The brief examines external conditions fueling the shift toward new payment paradigms, as well as innovations in security technology that will change processes within business enterprises. It also provides practical guidelines for evaluating secure payment service providers. The brief is available for download at www.rsa.com/document.aspx?id=10990.

Expanding same-day ACH to other networks

#dch_A report from Javelin Strategy & Research suggests the automated clearing house (ACH) network must integrate the best technology and infrastructure advances adopted by other payment networks. Same-day ACH, which went into effect Aug. 2, 2010, will be offered by just one of the two ACH operators, the Federal Reserve, as an opt-in program known as FedACH SameDay.

The report, Strategic Guide to Same-Day ACH: Is Half a Solution Better than None?, recommends NACHA - The Electronic Payments Association change its rules to mandate same-day service across all network participants. Such a change would increase the profitability of same-day ACH and strengthen the network for the future, according to the report. For more information about the guide, visit www.javelinstrategy.com/research.

#dch_A 20-page report by Aite Group LLC, A Merchant Acquiring Update, discusses the hurdles facing merchant acquirers through 2011 and maps several opportunities that lie ahead.

Based on surveys and interviews conducted with industry executives, Aite found the three areas of greatest concern for merchant acquirers today are regulation related to PCI compliance, the economy and technology. For a copy of the report, visit the Retail Banking Reports page at www.aitegroup.com.

Cashless vending spikes

#dch_Data released by USA Technologies Inc., a network provider of wireless noncash vending systems, indicates accelerated adoption of cashless vending across the United States. According to USAT, vending operators and bottlers have seen 15 percent growth in sales revenue per machine within 12 to 24 months of installation of cashless payment terminals, with net operating profits rising from the industry average of 2 percent for cash sales to 10 to 12 percent for cashless payments.

USAT reported the vending channels where demand is highest include education, business and entertainment, where cashless transactions account for more than 30 percent of all purchases. In the military sector, cashless transactions have been averaging over 50 percent. USAT attributes the surge in cashless vending to customer convenience and positive effects on sales, margins and net operating profits. For more information, visit www.usatech.com.

Payments industry in a nutshell

#dch_Taxonomy of Payments: Everything You Wanted to Know About Payments But Were Afraid to Ask, a two-part report released July 14, 2010, by London-based Celent LLC, offers a detailed analysis of the payments industry, including recent payment trends and developments.

Part one introduces the basics of payments, covering key terminology, primary payment instruments, the value chain and transaction economics connected with each type of payment, and the major players in each category.

Part two provides an in-depth analysis of trends and developments in the categories of online, mobile and corporate payments, as well as a discussion of how payments are managed within banks.